Coupling



F. E. PAYNE June 3, 1948.

COUPLING Filed Jan. 17, 1945 Z3 Z] 13 16 g fzvenz for'" flank E Pcgyne W z 7 fia U Patented June 8, 1948 OFF-ICE COUPLING Frank E. Payne, Glcncoe, 111., assignor to Crane Packing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois 9 Application January 17, 1945, Serial No. 578,162

3 Claims. (Cl. 285-90) This invention relates to coupling for pipes, tubes, tubular chambers and 'the like, and particularly to such couplings which are required to have a certain degree of flexibility to absorb vibrations, both axial and radial.

There are many fluid systems in use which require the use of pipe or tube sections joined together by couplings, wherein the tubes are sub- Jected to considerable vibration. This vibration in a rigid system soon loosens the couplings, or it may even result in crystallization and rupture of the tubes or couplings, thereby causing a failme of the system. Fluid lines in aircraft are particularly susceptible to such failures and hence it is important to provide some flexibility in the system since it is difficult to eliminate the vibrations.

There has been proposed a pipe coupling comprising an internally flanged nut threaded on one of the pipes to be coupled and surrounding the other of the pipes, with a flexible compressible packing intennediate the flange on the nut and the end of the first-mentioned pipe. When the nut is tightened the packing is compressed both axially and radially so that a seal is formed by the pressure 01 the packing on the outside of the other pipe. This pressure cannot be controlled accurately and in most instances is too great to give the desired degree of freedom or flexibility.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a coupling for tubes or the like which will effectively seal the contents of the tubesand yet provide a maximum of. flexibility for the coupled tubes.

A specific object of this invention is to provide a packing for a tube coupling wherein the packing may be compressed against one of the tubes to any desired extent without exerting a corresponding pressure on the other tube to be coupled.

A still more specific object'of this invention is to provide a packing for a tube coupling, the coupling having an internally flanged nut, and the packing comprising an endless band having an outer region adapted to be compressed between the flange and the end of one tube and an inner region which is hollowed to form a'charnber in communication with the fluid under pressure in the tubes, the inner region being adapted to be compressed against theother tube by the fluid to form a seal between the packing and said other tube. It is also an object of this invention to form the inner region in such a manner that an abutment will be provided for the tube by the packing to prevent the tubes to be coupled from separating. v

2 I These and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken together with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a section taken through a coupling employing the packing-of this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a corresponding section through ,a

modified form of the packing. 7

Referring now in detail to Fig. 1, there is'shown acoupling member or fitting Ill of a conduit or pipe having an interior passageway ll through which fluid under pressure may be passed. Said coupling member is provided with external threads I2 which may be utilized to secure the coupling member In to a pipe, container or other receptacle for fluid. .Passageway II is enlarged at l3 to receive telescopically the end of a pipe or conduit 14, said pipe having an internal bore l5 which approximates in size passageway ll of coupling member [0. Said pipe I4 is formed with a'flange IS on the end thereof, the outside diameter of the flange being smaller by a. considerable margin than the diameter of the enlarged bore l3 so as to permit pipe M to move freely relative to coupling member ill in a plane perpendicular to the axes of the pipes. It will be noted that a considerable annular space I! is formed between the exterior of pipe l4 and the interior of the enlarged passageway l3. and that this space is in hydraulic communication with bores II and I5.

The end l8 of the coupling member ID is formed 'with threads ill on the exterior thereof and with oppositely inclined conical faces 20 and 2|. A nut 22 is adapted to be secured to end i8 of coupling member in through the cooperation between internal threads 23 on the nut and the threads IS on said end l8. A gasket 24 is provided between the nut and coupling member ill to form a fluidtight seal therebetween. The left-hand end (Fig. 1) of nut 22 has a radially inwardly extending flange 25 which surrounds pipe i l with a loose flt. The innersurface of flange 25 is formed with oppositely inclined conical surfaces 26 and 21, the diameter of intersection of conical surfaces 26 and 21 being substantially the same as the diameter of intersection of conical surfaces 2| and 20.

In the space formed by flange 25 and the end It! of coupling member Ill is {located a packing ring 28 of resilient compressible material such as rubber or the like. Said ring 28 has anouter portion 29 which flts into the space formed by conical surfaces 2| and 2B and an inner portion 30 fitting into the'space formed by conical surfaces 20 and 21. Thus the outer portion 29 has 3 oppositely disposed conical surfaces 31 and 32 and the inner portion 3| has oppositely disposed conical surfaces 33 and 34. The inner region is hollowed out as at 38 to form an annular chamher. This chamber is in communication with the aforementioned chamber 51 by means .of a

the periphery of pipe 14 and on the outside by a laterally extending flange 31 formed as an integral part of the inner portion 30. Thus chamber 35 causes the inner region 30 to assume the form of a pair of diverging ribs. one of which is in contact with end ll of coupling member I and the other of which is in contact with flange 25. There is contact also between the inner portion 30 and the exterior of pipe H at 38, chamber 35 being so designed as to result in a tapered lip 39 on the inside of the rib in contact with pipe l4 and flange 26.

When assembled, packing ring 25 is compressed between flange 25 and the end is in a manner to form a fluid-tight seal between said end and flange through the compression of the outer portion 29 between these two members. Due to the converging conical surfaces 28 and 2|, the greater portion of pressure will be applied in a direction to move the material of the packing ring radially outwardly so that the pressure exerted by the tightening nut will not be transmitted to pipe i4 and thus restrict its free movement relative to coupling member ill. The seal between the packing member 28 and the exterior of pipe I4 is formed almost entirely by the pressure of the fluid in chamber 25 acting radially inwardly on lip 29 to compress the lip upon the exterior surface of pipe It. Thispressure also serves to spread the inner portion 30 against the conical surfaces 29 and 21 so that some sealing efiect is produced at these points, although the greatest portion of course takes place through the compression of the outer region 29.

Since there may be a tendency for pipe M to withdraw from the coupling due to excessive vibration, strain or other causes, flange 37 is made of such diameter as to extend into the pathoi movement of flange 86, thereby preventing such withdrawal of pipe M from its cooperating coupling member Hi. It is contemplated that flange 3'! will have sufficient rigidity to resist any separating forces which might be imposed upon pipe id. Any excessive fluid pressures will of course tend to make the seal tighter and hence will not cause the coupling to leak. Since, however, it is primarily the fluid pressure which forms the seal between the packing and the exterior of pipe id, there will be less resistance between the movement of pipe It than would be the case were the pressure supplied solely through the action of the tightening nut 22. This reduces the strain on the packing material and on the coupling as a whole since the pipe M will yield more readily in response to vibrations in any given plane.

In assembling the coupling, the packing 28 may be slipped over pipe M from either end. Since chamber 35 has an outside diameter which is greater than the outside diameter of flange E6,

the rib in contact with the flange 25 may be distorted sufliciently to pass over flange IS without causing any serious damage to the packing.

Similarly," the rib terminating in flange 31 may passageway 38 which is bounded on the inside by with the end Id 'of coupling member ID and the nut 22 is then turned on threads 19 until packing 28 is compressed the desired amount. It is understood of course that the nut will be slipped over end I4 from the left since the opening provided in flange for pipe I4 is not sufflciently large to accommodate flange II. I

The modification shown in Fig. 2 differs from the form shown in Fig. 1 only in that the outer region 40 of packing 4| is made with sides that are perpendicular to the axis of the packing instead of conical. Thus the midterm 42 of the coupling member 43 is simply squared oil? as is also the surface 43 of flange 44 on nut 45. Such a construction is somewhat less expensive to make and the molds from which the packing 4| are formed are likewise less expensive in their flrst cost. In other respects the packing 4| is similar to packing 2B and. a fluid-tight joint is formed between the packing and the exterior of pipe end 48 by the action of fluid pressure upon a lip 41 which bears against the outside of pipe 46 and substantially no part-of the compressive force exerted by nut 45 is transmitted through the packing material to the pipe 46. Thus the same degree of freedom is provided for the pipe coupling of Fig. 2 as is found in the coupling of Fig. 1.

It is understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of this invention and that the scope of the invention is not to be limited thereto, but is to be determined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. As on article of manufacture, a packing for sealing the juncture between a pair of relatively movable pipes, one of which is telescoped over another, and both of which are adapted to contain fluid under pressure, said packing compris ing a band of compressible material surrounding the telescoped pipe and having an outer region adapted to be clamped in sealing engagement to the telescoping pipe, and an inner region comprising a pair of diverging ribs, one of which is formed with a thin'edge pressed in fluid-tight contact with the telescoped pipe by the pressure of the fluid and the other of which extends interiorly of the telescoping pipe to form an abutment for limiting the outward movement of the telescoped pipe relative to the telescoping pipe.

2. As an article of manufacture, a packing for sealing the juncture between a pair of relatively movable pipes, one of which is formed with a flared end which is telescoped within the other, and both of which are adapted to contain fluid under pressure, said packing comprising a band of compressible material surrounding the telescoped pipe and spaced from the flared end thereof, said band having an outer region adapted to be clamped in sealing engagement to the telescoping plpe, and. an inner region comprising a pair of diver ing ribs, one of which is formed with a thin edge pressed in fluid-tight contactwith the telescoped pipe by the pressure of the fluid and the other of which extends interiorly of the telescoping pipe toward the flared end of the telescoped pipe to act as an abutment therefor to limit the outward movement of the telescoped pipe relative to the telescoping pipe.

3. In combination, a pipe coupling for connecting two relatively movable pipe sections, at least one of which is adapted to hold fluid under pressure, and a packing for the coupling to prevent loss of fluid therefrom, said coupling comprising an open-ended fitting adapted to be secured to one pipe section and receiving within said open end the end of the other pipe section, the end of said other pipe section being flared outwardly. a nut threaded on the fitting and having a flange extending radially inwardly to a diameter which is less than the diameter of the flared end of the said other pipe section. the end of the fitting and the flange on the nut defining between them an opening which in radial cross-section is narrower at the central region than at the inner and outer regions thereof, the packing in the outer region when under compression being urged radially outward and exerting no pressure upon the pipe. and the packing in the inner region being formed with inwardly diverging ribs, one rib contacting the periphery of the pipe and having a thin lip formed thereon and the other rib contacting the 5 seal between the lip and pipe contacted thereby.

FRANK E. PAYNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 1 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,683,076 Johnson Sept. 4, 1928 2,190,419 Evarts Feb. 13, 1940 2,372,095 Leistensnider Mar. 20, 1945 

